It didn’t go unnoticed when Rory McIlroy sat down with CBS sports journalist Amanda Balionis to discuss his emotional Masters triumph on Sunday.
The last 12 months have been drama-filled for the Northern Irishman, sparked when he filed for divorce from his wide Erica Stoll, the mother of his daughter Poppy, last May.
The news came just days before the beginning of the PGA Championship, the second major championship of the golfing calendar.
It appeared to signal the end of a relationship that had begun in 2014, when Stoll was still working as a manager of championship volunteer operations for the Professional Golfers’ Association of America.
The news sent shockwaves through the world of golf and fanned the flames of unproven rumors of a potential romance between McIlroy and reporter Balionis.
The pair appeared to enjoy a strong rapport during an interview at the Wells Fargo Championship, but the wild speculation has been dismissed by credible sources and neither party has addressed the claims.
Reports clarified that McIlroy and Balionis maintained a strictly professional relationship, and there was no romantic involvement between them.
But the rumor mill continued to turn as eagle-eyed Instagram sleuths spotted that Balionis appeared to have split from her husband Bryn Renner.
Amanda Balionis appears to have split from husband Bryn Renner. The couple got engaged on a beach with the journalist showing off the ring on social media
Balionis congratulated McIlroy on social media after he secured his first ever green jacket, and then interviewed him on his success
Rory McIlroy poses with his wife Erica and daughter Poppy after pulling on the Green Jacket
Renner, a college football coach-turned tech company account manager, got engaged to Balionis in 2021 and the pair married the next year.
Balionis, however, appeared publicly without her wedding band for the first time last February, prompting speculation the couple had separated.
The reporter last year switched her social media accounts from her married name of Balionis Renner back to her maiden name of Balionis.
She was then dragged into McIlroy’s divorce drama last year, before the Northern Irishman reconciled with Stoll, just one month after he had filed for divorce.
This week, Balionis offered her congratulations to McIlroy for his Masters success on social media, hailing his ‘legacy’ achievement after he became only the sixth man to complete the sweep of golf’s four major honors.
Balionis wrote: ‘It took 17 Masters starts, 11 years of attempting to complete the career Grand Slam and 73 this week but Rory McIlroy has his Green Jacket and has solidified his legacy alongside Tiger, Jack, Gary, Hogan and Sarazen. What a week and a battle down to the very end.’
On Sunday, McIlroy wasted no time in putting his wife of eight years, Stoll, and their four-year-old daughter Poppy at the center of his celebrations, posing for photos with the pair who have been a visible support in recent months.
When sitting down with Balionis for a CBS interview, McIlroy opened up about the support of his family as he set about the quest of completing the career Grand Slam.
CBS Sports reporter Amanda Balionis was rumored to be involved with McIlroy at one point
Speculation emerged last year of a possible romance between McIlroy and the CBS reporter
Balionis and Bryn Renner started dating in 2019 and got engaged in 2021. They wed a year later
‘I have had an incredible support system the whole way throughout my life as an only child, the support that I had from my parents, they saw some potential in me as a golfer, and they give me every opportunity to try to fulfill that potential,’ McIlroy told Balionis.
‘To have Poppy there and to see… you know, I want to make her proud,’ he continued. ‘I want her to be able to experience these things.
‘I said on the on the green, while I was doing the trophy presentation, I hadn’t given up for 17 years. And I think that’s a really good lesson for any young boy or girl that was watching that: Never give up on your dreams and to keep fighting for it. And if you do the work, and you put in the effort, that you can achieve anything, and hopefully, Poppy saw that today.’
Balionis’ interview with McIlroy was revealing as he discussed the pressure of completing the career grand slam 11 years after winning The Open Championship for his third major.
‘Every year that goes by, it doesn’t happen,’ McIlroy said. ‘So all that pressure, all that it builds up.’
In the end, he explained, it felt like ‘pure relief’ when he drained the winning put in a playoff against Justin Rose.
After securing that victory, McIlroy wasted no time in rejoicing with his family. His wife Erica has been a visible supporter in recent months and recently appeared at TPC Sawgrass when he clinched his second Players Championship.
Balionis’ wedding ring was absent in photos when she had interviewed McIlroy last year
Last year, rumors suggested that Balionis and McIlroy might have been romantically involved on tour
Balionis caught up with Rory McIlroy ahead of the final round at Augusta National on Sunday
Scottie Scheffler puts the Green Jacket on McIlroy after the final round of the Masters
After becoming only the sixth man to complete the career Grand Slam, McIlroy went straight to Stoll, who wowed in an all-white ensemble and dramatic wide-brimmed hat, and pulled her into an embrace.
He then knelt down to hug Poppy, who looked overwhelmed by the occasion, before scooping her into his arms as the tears continued to spill over.
During an emotional Green Jacket ceremony, he said: ‘Last but not least, over to my left, my family, my team.
‘They’ve been on this journey with me the whole way through. They know the burden that I’ve carried to come here every year and try and try and try again,’ he continued after recomposing himself.
‘The one thing I would say to my daughter Poppy, never give up on your dreams. Never ever give up on your dreams. Keep coming back. Keep working hard.’
